


Why Can't I

by mihomi98



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-28
Packaged: 2018-03-25 01:22:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 8,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3791335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mihomi98/pseuds/mihomi98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's seventh year, and Draco and Hermione are the heads. Draco has always been in love with Hermione. Will he be able to tell her? and Will she feel the same? Dramione, Blinny</p><p>Re-post (like all my stories today) from FanFiction.net. Written in 2007, when I was 14.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Draco stared out the window of his bedroom, deep in thought. Thoughts of her. She haunted his mind day and night; it was all he could do not to owl her expressing his feeling for her.

"Draco! Will you please open the door?" he heard his mother say while knocking.

"Come in, Mother," Draco replied, not taking his eyes away from the window.

Narcissa walked in, and looked at her son. She recognized the look on his face. It was the same look Lucius had when he at fallen for her at Hogwarts so many moons ago.  _I wonder..._  she thought. She knew who her son had fallen for. She was displeased, of course, but she accepted it. Narcissa had found out about Draco's crush when she had accidentally called the girl a mudblood, and Draco went berserk.

"Draco..." Narcissa started. "Are you thinking about that Granger girl again? I understand you like her, but it's almost time for school again. You need to start thinking about packing? Or at least getting your things together for the house-elves to do it for you."

"I'm not thinking about Granger..."

"Yes, you are. I can tell by the way you are blushing and trying not to smile. I know you like her a lot, but..."

"But what, mom? She's a muggle-born?"

"That's not what I meant, son, and you know it."

"Whatever. Even if I did like her, not saying that I do, it's not like she'd ever fall for me," Draco answered, glumly. He had liked her for ages, ever since he had first seen her on the train on the way to Hogwarts when he was eleven years old. He was going into his seventh year: the last year he had to tell Hermione his intense feelings. "Mom, will you please leave? I need to start packing."

Narcissa walked out of the room. Draco looked back to the window. Surprisingly enough, he was nearing tears.

 _Malfoys don't cry,_  he chided himself.  _Anyways, its not like I really care about her. Who cares if she doesn't like me back? Just because she's all I think about, is in my thoughts in everything I do, doesn't mean I care that she'll never want me...I think I'll just turn on some music, that'll get my thoughts off of her..._

The song that played on the radio reminded him of Hermione. These days, everything he heard or saw made him think of her.

_**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?** _

_**Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?** _

_**In inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it** _

_**So tell me:** _

_**Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?** _

It described Draco's feeling immensely. Every time that he ran into her and those... "friends" of hers, his brain turned to mush. What did Potter and Weasley have that he didn't? Her, obviously, but what else? He was beautiful; every girl wanted him. Well, all except the one that truly mattered. Potter and Weasley didn't deserve her! They weren't good enough! She needed friends who didn't rely on her for help with homework, who just loved her for her. And Weasley? Why did she love him so much?

_Maybe if I die my hair red, she'll like me. Wait! What am I thinking? I'm not going to change myself for HER. She's just a mudblood..._


	2. Chapter 2

Draco slowly walked down to the kitchen, stalling so he wouldn't have to talk to his mother. He knew that Narcissa would try to talk to him some more about how he felt about Granger. As he reached the ground, he looked at his mom, who was reading the  _Daily Prophet._ She started doing that every morning, ever since her and Lucius had gone over to the light side.

"Um... mom?" Draco began. Narcissa looked up.

"Yes?"

"D-does dad know about the whole... you know."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, son," Narcissa teased. Of course, she knew exactly what he meant, she just wanted him to say it out loud.

"Oh, mom, please don't make me say it!" Draco exclaimed.

Narcissa got a puzzled look on her face. "Admit what? What are you hiding?"

"Mom..."

"Draco..."

"Fine! You win! The fact that I like... Hermione," Draco said, using the girl's first name.

"It might have slipped out," Narcissa replied. "Anyways, go shower and get dressed nicely. Your father is having guests over, and I think you will want to look your best."

Draco smirked. "And why would I want to look nice for any of father's guests?" Draco hated all of his father's friends, he could care less how he looked in front of them. "So, who did he invite?"

"The Grangers."

Draco's mouth dropped open. He was speechless. The girl he liked, along with her family, was coming to the mansion. He had yet to run into her this past summer: he could only imagine what she would look like. And what would she think of him? She likely still hated him, of course.

"A-are you s-serious?!" Draco stuttered, suddenly extremely nervous.

"Yep. Now go and get ready!"

Draco ran up the stairs, and began to look for what would make him irresistible to Hermione. Since the end of sixth year, Draco spent most of his time working out, and his usual slicked-back blond hair hung side-swept over his left eye, making him even better looking than he was before. He looked at his reflection, and saw that he was blushing.

 _I can't believe I'm blushing like this over **her**_  Draco thought.

At Mione's house...

"We are going WHERE?!" Hermione asked her mother. She couldn't believe what she had just heard her mother say. The Malfoy Mansion?

"The Malfoys invited us over, they thought that since you and Draco have been friends for so long, that we should have dinner together," her mother answered calmly.

"Friends?! Me and Malfoy are anything but friends! He is constantly making fun of me!" Hermione exclaimed, not caring that her grammar was off.  **(A/N: Who would have thought Hermione would use IMPROPER GRAMMAR?!**

"Well, maybe something has changed, and he wants to make it up to you?"

Hermione looked at the floor. She highly doubted that Malfoy would want to make up for years of torment and abuse. But, who knew.  _People can change_ , she reminded herself. She walked upstairs to her room. It was lime green, green-blue, with black accents. Yes, our Gryffindor loves Slytherin colors. She would never tell Harry and Ron, though: they would be angry. Her mom knocked on the door, then walked it.

"Well..."

"Just give it a chance, Hermione. Who knows? Maybe you guys will bond tonight."

Hermione thought about it. "Alright," she sighed as her mom walked out. She walked to her closet, and chose and outfit to wear.

Back at the Malfoy Manner...

Draco nervously paced the entryway as 7:00 came and went.  _Where is she?_  He wondered. The  _Grangers were supposed to be here by now!_ He had begun to get worried as he heard a knock at the door. He sent one of the house elves to let them in, he was to nervous to do it himself. He looked at himself in a hallway mirror. He was wearing tight black jeans, and a green muscle shirt. He hoped that he would impress Hermione tonight. He was going to apologize to her for all those years of torment; he hoped that she would believe he was sincere and forgive him.

"You must be Hermione!" he heard his mother exclaim. "You are even more beautiful than Draco said you were! Where is that boy? Draco, get down here, out guests have arrived!"

Draco froze as soon as he heard Narcissa tell Hermione that he thought she was beautiful. Lucius walked up to the second level where Draco was, and looked at him. He could tell that Draco was very very nervous by the way that he was sweating and slightly trembling.

"Come on, Draco."

 _Did I hear correctly? Does Draco actually think me to be...beautiful?_ Hermione wondered. She turned around as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and sighed inwardly.  _Wow_ , she thought. Draco had gotten even more god-like than he was the previous year. Not that she thought him to be god-like, she just thought he was extremely fit.

Draco came downstairs as casually as possible, feigning a look of boredom. Inside, his heart felt as if it was going to beat through his chest. His palms began to sweat and he got weak as he looked at how Hermione had changed since last June. Her usual bushy hair had calmed, making it super straight and shiny. She was wearing some sort of glittery purple eyeshadow, and Draco thought it really made her eyes even more amazing than they already were. She was dressed in gray slacks, a black tank-top, and black stilettos.  _She looks amazing,_  Draco told himself.  _But she will never want you the way you want her..._ That thought had Draco feel sad.

Hermione noticed a look of sorrow come across Draco's face. "Everything okay, Malfoy?" she sneered.

"Yeah, everything is great, Gra-Hermione," he said, using her first name when he got a glance from his mother. He debated about whether or not he should tell Hermione how he felt about her, or if he should wait.

Lucius could tell that Draco was unsure about admitting his feelings. "Mr. and Mrs. Grager, how about we go into the parlor and let those two talk for a while? I'm sure out conversations will hold not interesting for them," he laughed. The adults walked away, leaving Draco and Hermione standing awkwardly in the entry-way.

"So..." Hermione began.

"Would you like to see my room? It'll be easier to talk up there," Draco pointed out.

"Sure."

Draco lead the way up two flights of stairs, taking her to a black door. He opened it, and walked it. He sat down on a green bean-bag. Hermione walked in, and looked around, noticing something on the mirror. A picture of her. "Um... Malfoy? What is this?" she asked, pointing to the picture.

"Damn..." he mumbled. He had forgotten about that picture. He quickly charmed it into a picture of his mom. "Just a picture of mom, nothing unusual."

"Okay..." Hermione shrugged, and walked over. She looked around. There was no evidence that this boy was a deatheater.

"What are you looking so intently for?" Draco quizzed her.

"Evidence that you are indeed a deatheater who wants to kill me," she teased.

"Haha. Very funny. You know I'm not a deatheater." The Malfoys had jrust been joined into the Order the week previously. "Anyways, even if I was a deatheater, I wouldn't ever kill you," Draco said, then realized what he admitted.

That surprised Hermione. "Sure, you wouldn't kill me. I'm just a mudblood who you happen to really hate," she replied, rolling her eyes.

Draco looked strained for a moment. It was all he could to keep himself from going over to her, wrapping his arms around her, and apologetically kissing her. "About all of that... I am so sorry. I never wanted to say anything to hurt you, I..."

"Hermione! We need to go, your mom is having an asthma attack!" Hermione's dad called up the steps.

"Coming!" Hermione added. "Oh, and Draco? I guess I forgive you. See you at school, I'm head girl."

"I'm head boy!" he called after her. He had come so close to telling her how he felt. He had no idea before how much he wanted to tell her, or the extent of his feelings. He knew he liked her, he had known that for six years, he just hadn't realized how much being near her would effect him.

"So, Draco, did you tell her you care for her?" Lucius said, breaking Draco's train of thought.

"No, I was about to, but then her mom had that attack. What is an asthma attack, anyways?" Draco answered sadly.

"I have no idea. All of the sudden, Hermione's mom was just gasping for air, and wheezing. It was bad," Lucius replied.

"Dad? Does anyone besides you, mom, and I know about the whole me liking Granger thing?" Draco asked his father.

"Well... I told that young Weasley girl. She's Hermione's best friend, I figured someone would help get you two together since you won't do anything about it," he chuckled.

"You WHAT?! Weasellette knows? She is going to tell Hermione for sure!"

"That's the plan."


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad? Does anyone besides you, mom, and I know about the whole me liking Granger thing?" Draco asked his father.

"Well... I told that young Weasley girl. She's Hermione's best friend, I figured someone would help get you two together since you won't do anything about it," he chuckled.

"You WHAT?! Weasellette knows? She is going to tell Hermione for sure!"

"That's the plan."

**Now:**

That night, Draco couldn't sleep. All he could think about was how great Hermione looked at dinner. He had spent the last two hours thinking about her, falling for her even more with every hour that passed. He got up. He obviously wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon, he might as well go and get something to eat. Maybe also walk around outside a bit, just to clear his mind. Apparently Lucius had the same thought as he was sitting on the front porch, looking at the sky.

"Draco? What are you doing up?" Lucius asked, concerned.

"Couldn't sleep," Draco replied, still wide awake.

"Ah, thinking of Hermione now where we?" Lucius grinned.

"No! I was... umm... yea..."

"You need to get your sleep. We've been invited to the Burrow tomorrow, you can talk to the Weasley girl about your crush. Now go back to bed."

Draco got up, and walked to his room. Talk to the Weaslette about his love life? As if. She would just chide him about liking her best friend, anyway.  _Hell,_  he thought,  _she might be able to talk to Hermione about me... see what she thinks of me._ Draco rolled over, and finally fell asleep.

The next day ( **A/n: originally, I had asterisks to symbolize the time changed, but for some reason they will not show up)** :

Molly Weasley was making bread for dinner that night when she heard a loud pop. She looked up. The guests had arrived.

"Kids! They're here!" she called up to the Weasley children, as well as Harry, who was staying with them for the summer.

Ginny ran down the steps, and saw Draco. "Draco! Come with me, I need to talk to you! Now, away from everyone else, especially Ron," she mumbled.

Draco followed Ginny up to her room. It looked a lot like a Slytherin girl's room, not another Gryffindor girl. The walls were black, and everything on the bed was green. Draco looked around. He stopped looking once he got to the board on the side of Ginny's bed. The board was covered with pictures of his best mate, Blaise Zabini. His eyes widened in shock as he figured it out.

"Weaselette!" Draco exclaimed. "You like Blaise! My best friend! Wow..."  
"Shut it, Malfoy! You like my best friend, so we're even," she responded.

"Fine..."

"Anyways, Hermione is online. Do you want me to ask her what she thinks about you or not? I was planning on it, but of you would rather make fun of me..."

"NO! I mean, please?"

**BoOkSrOcKmYsOx has signed on.**

**xXredhairissexyXx has signed on.**

**xXredhairissexyXx:**  Hi Mione!

 **BoOkSrOcKmYsOx:**  Hi Ginny!

 **xXredhairissexyXx** : Hey, just wondering, what do you think of Draco Malfoy?

 **BoOkSrOcKmYsOx:**  Well... I don't know, I mean... I think I might actually... I don't know, it just when I was at his house... I felt something.

Draco blushed ferociously. "Keep talking," he whispered.

 **xXredhairissexyXx** : Isn't he head boy with you?

 **BoOkSrOcKmYsOx** : OMG! I forgot about that! So I'll be living with him, while liking him. fun...

 **xXredhairissexyXx:**  well, I heard that he might like you.

"Why did you put that?!" Draco exclaimed angrily.

"Because you do, and girls like it when the guy they like, likes them back."

"Fine... oh, she responded! What did she say?" Draco had begun to like the fact that the Weaselette knew his secret.

 **BoOkSrOcKmYsOx:** really?! As if someone like him would ever like me...

 **xXredhairissexyXx:** You never know! What if he asked to to Halloween ball? Would you say yes?

Unfortunately for Draco, right after Ginny sent that message, Molly Weasley called them down for dinner.

"Great timing..." Draco mumbled, disappointed. He had wanted to see Hermione's response.

 **xXredhairissexyXx:** I g2g, see you at school tomorrow Mione!

**xXredhairissexyXx has signed off.**


	4. Chapter 4

Harry and Ron looked up as Ginny and Draco come down the steps.

"Hey, Malfoy," Harry said to Draco. He had accepted that Draco wasn't a death eater anymore, and much of a threat.

"Potter," Draco replied, expressionless.

"I don't care if you've turned good, I still don't like you," Ron stated, glaring at Draco.

"Nor I you, Weasel," Draco answered, his eyes narrowing.

"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" Molly shrieked at her son at the same time Narcissa yelled "DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY!"  
"Jeez, Ron, he can't be all that bad anymore!" Ginny stated, a tone of annoyance distinct in her voice.

"Ginny, have you not seen how he has treated your best friend all these years? He's made her cry countless times!" Ron said, his teeth clenched. Draco felt bad. He knew he had hurt Hermione, but he had never meant to make her cry!

"That was just to cover up that he lo-" Ginny slapped her hand over her mouth. "Oops..."

"Can I talk to you in private, Ginny?" Draco said, his voice so cold it could freeze a volcano.

Draco stood. Ginny followed him out of the kitchen, and up to her room. She knew that she was about to get a mouthful.

"Why in Merlin's name did you tell them that I love Hermione?! I don't love her! I just... like her a lot!" Draco exclaimed.

"It just slipped out!" Ginny explained. " Harry already knew about it, he figured it out!"

"What do you mean he figured it out?" Draco asked. He was beginning to get confused. He never showed his love for Hermione when he was around her. He was as mean as anyone could possibly be.

"Well... for starters, every time you called her a mudblood and saw how it hurt her, you looked as though all you wanted to do was make her feel better. That, and the fact that during every class and meal your eyes very rarely left her," Ginny giggled.

"Merlin..." Draco said, mostly to himself. "I didn't realize it was that obvious..."

Ginny sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking of what to say next. "Hey, Draco?"

"Yea?"

"Why did your family turn to the light side? Hasn't generations of Malfoys been evil?"

Draco took a deep breath before starting. "Well..."

(start flashback)

_"Corgon! Over here! NOW!" Voldemort roared at one of his many deatheaters._

_"Yes, my lord?" the deatheater in question answered._

_"You haven't been very loyal to me, have you?"_

_"But... but... my lord! I have devoted my life to you!"_

_"Not good enough! Your disloyalty has already caused the death of your family-" Corgon_ _gasped-" and now, it will be the death of you! AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

_Lucius, who had seen the whole ordeal, panicked. He thought of the mansion, and arraperated there. "Narcissa!" he yelled. "I need to talk to you!"_

_"Yes, dear?" Narcissa replied._

_"He's turning against his own deatheaters! We need to think of a way to keep ourself and Draco safe!"_

_"How? We can't do anything!"_

_Draco walked downstairs. " I can think of something."_

_"What?" his parents asked in unison._

_"Well... it won't make you happy."_

_"Just tell us what it is!"_

_"We could fight against the Dark Lord, and join the light side."_

(end flashback)

Ginny's eyes widened. "W-would he really kill your family?" she asked.

"Yes," Draco said so quietly that Ginny had to strain to hear him.


	5. Chapter 5

Back in the kitchen, Harry and Ron were talking. Ron was near his exploding point.

"I've liked her a lot longer than he has!"

"Not really, Ron. You've only liked her since third year," Harry answered his best mate.

"That's still longer than him!"

"Not really. He's liked her since... well, I don't know when he started, but I know he liked her in second year. When she was petrified, I was in the hospital wing under my invisibility cloak, he came in and looked at Mione. You could tell he genuinely worried about her."

**Back in Ginny's room:**

"Hey, Draco, since I'm helping you with Hermione..." Ginny's voice trailed off.

"Yea?"

"Um... could you... umm..." Ginny stuttered.

"Spit it out already, Weaselette!" Draco said.

"Can you maybe... well... get Blaise to go out with me?" Ginny covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.

Draco stood there gaping at her. Ginny's eyes began to well up with tears. "He's your best friend, I guess you'd know if he liked me, huh? Oh well... just because I have liked him for four years, I shouldn't have expected him to like me back..."

"That's not it. I was just surprised, thats all. He does like you, he likes you a lot. And he is going to kill me for telling you..." Draco told Ginny. Her face brightened immediately.

"Thank you! You're the best Draco!" Ginny exclaimed, hugging Draco. He blushed at the sign of affection.

"You're welcome. Now get off of me!

Ginny let go of Draco. He stood up, and walked to the room he was staying in across the hallway. He grabbed a piece of parchment from his trunk, and sat down at his desk. He began to write.

_Blaise-_

_Good news! For you, that is. I could care less about the news. Anyways, apparently the Weaselette likes you. A lot. Like, as much as you like her. Although thats not as much as I like Hermione,she still likes you a lot. I've liked Hermione since first year, and you've liked Ginny since second, right? Anyways, I think you should ask her out. Hey, I need your help with something. Granger and I (I just realized I've written this letter using her first name, I'm not used to doing that... oh well, might as well get used to it, she IS head girl...) are going to be seeing a lot of each other this year... Did I mention I'm head boy? See you tomorrow at school! Our usual compartment?_

_-Draco_

_P.S. The Weaselette is Granger's best friend, so she is helping me with Granger. Just thought you should know that._

"Scorpio!" Draco called out into the night. A black owl swooped in through the open window. "Scorpio, take this letter to Blaise."

Draco decided that he needed to get some sleep. He would be seeing Hermione the next day at school, and he didn't want to be tired or irritable around her. He was finally going to tell her how much he wanted her, how much he needed her. As Draco lay in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione.  _Do I have any chance with her?_ he wondered. He thought about all the times when she acted bitchy towards him, mostly when he had insulted her. He thought back to third year. She had punched him in the face that year. He didn't even remember what he did to deserve it, but he didn't care. She had paid attention to him, even if it was negative, and for that, he was happy. He wasn't sure if he was in love with her yet, but if he wasn't, he was pretty damn close.

**At Hermione's, and hour away:**

"Mione! Go to bed! You need your sleep, you want to be wide awake on your first day back at Hogwarts!" her dad yelled at her.

"Night, dad! Night, mom!" she yelled back. She arrived in her room a few moments later. She got under her covers, remembering her conversation with Ginny from earlier.

"I heard Draco might like you," she had said. When Hermione read that, she began to smile, a smile so wide her mouth hurt.  _Why am I so happy about that?_ She wondered.  _I hate him, and he hates me. That's how its always been._ But still, she wasn't so sure. She couldn't remember the last time she actually felt hatred towards him. She certainly didn't have feelings for him, but she didn't hate him, either.

"I might like him," she had told Ginny. And, truth be told, she believed she did.

"What are Harry and Ron going to say?" Hermione mumbled before drifting off to sleep, dreaming of Draco.


	6. Chapter 6

Blaise stopped packing long enough to realize that an owl was tapping at his window. He recognized it, it belonged to his best friend. Draco Malfoy. He read the letter, a smile spreading across his face. He got to work on his response.

**At the burrow:**

Draco awoke to find his owl back at it's perch. "Morning, Scorpio," he said. He read the letter to himself.

_Draco:_

_She really likes me? YES! I think I'll ask her out tomorrow, at the feast? Gratz on being head-boy, knew you could do it! Who would have ever thought that me and you, the Slytherin sex gods, would have always liked one of the Golden Trio or a Weasley? I'm glad we did, though. You should ask out Hermione! Mums calling, I'll meet you in our compartment tomorrow._

_The happiest man on earth,_

_Blaise Zabini_

**In the middle of the feast at Hogwarts:**

"Welcome back everyone!" Dumbledore shouted over the noise of the houses getting to know their newest members. "Our heads this year are Hermione Granger-" he paused as applause erupted-"and Draco Malfoy." The Slytherins cheered. "After the feast, Proffesor McGonagall will show both of you to your dorms. Tuck in, everyone!"

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny all began to eat, and talked about their summers. Ron was silent for a moment before saying, "Mione, if you get sick of living with Malfoy, me and Harry will give up our beds for you if you want to live the dorms again."

Hermione laughed. "I'm sure I'll be fine, Ron, thanks for the offer though." Ron just looked sullen. "So, Harry, how are things with Lavender?" Hermione asked Harry, changing the subject. Harry and Lavender had gotten together at the end of the school year.

Harry looked over at her. She was talking to one of her other friends. Harry smiled. "We're doing great."

Hermione was about to respond, when Blaise walked over to where Ginny was sitting. He looked nervous. "Hey, Ginny, can I talk to you for a minute?" He stuttered. "Alone?"

"S-sure." Ginny was just as nervous as Blaise was. She looked over to Draco, mentally asking him what was going on. He just smiled, and mouthed 'good luck.'

Hermione watched as Ginny walked off with Blaise. "I wonder what Blaise wants," she commented.

"I don't like him talking to my little sister." Ron scowled.

"Ron! He's part of the order, it's not like he is going to hurt her or anything. We'd all be after him if he did," Harry assured Ron.

Hermione felt eyes upon her back. She looked around. No one from either the Hufflepuff table or Ravenclaw table was looking at her: it had to be a Slytherin, and there wasn't very many of those anymore. She looked to their table, and brown eyes met cold, silver ones. Draco blushed, and looked down at his food. _Damn, she saw me,_  he thought.

Blaise walked back to the Slything table, smiling. Ginny went back to her friends, blushing insanely.

"Did he just...?" Hermione asked, not continuing the question in front of Ron or Harry. She had known how much Ginny had liked Blaise.

"I'll tell you all about it later! Can you come to my dorm after you see yours?" Ginny asked, hopeful.

"Sure!" Hermione giggled. She looked over at Draco. She had been doing that a lot. He got up, and walked to Professor McGonagall. "Listen, I've got to go, but I'll see you at, say, 8 o'clock?"

"Alright, follow me," the professor said as both heads reached her. Draco and Hermione followed her in silence out of the hall. This listed for a few minutes, until they reached a portrait of a pixie.

"Here is your dorms. You may make the password anything you like." McGonagall walked away.

"So... what do you think the password should be?" Hermione asked Draco. She felt nervous around him.  _Why do I feel so nervous? It's just Malfoy!_ She knew the answer, had for a long time, she just didn't want to admit it.

He stared at her for a moment, before coming up with a password. "How about... beautiful?" He said, staring into her eyes. They reached for the door at the same time, their hands brushing against each others. A jolt of electricity ran through both of their bodies. Draco barely resisted the urge to kiss her.

The door opened, and they looked inside. The common room was exquisite. There was a large stone fireplace, and in front of that, beautiful blood red couches. All over the room, was ivy plants. In one corner, there was a small pond with a waterfall. Draco walked over to the pond. Water fairies danced around the enchanted water.

"I think we should go and have a look at our rooms," Draco suggested, breaking the silence. They started up the steps. Draco reached his room first. The walls were painted black. In the middle of the room, there was a large king-sized bed, with green sheets. He walked across the hall to Hermione's room. The walls were golden rod, while the bed was a deep sexy red. Hermione felt the sheets: they felt like pure silk.

"Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute? I need to tell you something," Draco said suddenly, his voice shaky.

"We'll talk later okay? I have to go meet Ginny for girl talk. I'll be back in a few hours," Hermione promised him.

Draco felt his heart drop. "Okay..." he mumbled. He felt as if, once again, he had lost his chance with Hermione.


	7. Chapter 7

"Ginny!" Hermione called up the stairs to the girl's dorm. Ginny ran down the steps, with Blaise not far behind. "Um... hi Blaise?" Hermione said, laughing.

"Hey..." Blaise answered, his face red. "We were just..."

"I don't think I want to know," Hermione said, laughing hysterically now.

"For Merlin's sake, Mione, we were just talking!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Suuuure," Hermione answered, stretching out the vowel. Her laughing had slowed, and she was trying to regain her breath.

"AWKWARD TURTLE!" Blaise cried.

"Awkward turtle? What the hell is an awkward turtle?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Yea, Blaise, what is it?" Ginny was in hysterics now, her laughter heard all over the tower.

"It's... nevermind! Ginny, I'm going to go." He kissed Ginny on the cheek, then left the room.

Hermione waited for Blaise to be gone before asking, "So, you and Blaise, huh? Congratz! Tell me everything!"

Ginny blushed, and began to smile, before recounting the evening.

(Start flashback)

_"Hey, Ginny, can I talk to you? Alone?"_

_"S-sure."_

_They walked away from the table. Blaise rubbed his hands together, not sure how to say what he was thinking. "Blaise, are you alright? You look really nervous," Ginny asked, worried._

_"I...I..." Blaise was at loss for words. All he could think of was how beautiful Ginny looked with her hair pulled back in a bun, a few pieces of hair loose around her face._

_Ginny looked at him. "What are you trying to say Blaise?"_

_"I... kind of like you. A lot. I have for a while," Blaise admitted. Ginny didn't say anything, which Blaise took as a bad sign. "I understand if you don't feel the same, I just... wanted you to know how I feel." Blaise felt as if his world was crashing around him._

_"You idiot," she laughed, "Of course I like you! I've liked you for ages, more than you could know!"_

_"Will...will you be my girlfriend then?"_

_"Of course!"_

_They embraced lovingly, and shared a quick kiss before seperating._

(end flashback)

"That's awesome, Ginny!" Hermione stated, happy for her best friend. She wished she would have that kind of luck.

"What about you? Have you told Draco yet?" Ginny questioned.

"Told him what?"

"That your crazy about him, of course!"

Hermione was taken aback. She wasn't crazy about him! "Please, Ginny, I'm not crazy about him!" she exclaimed. "I've only liked him for a couple of weeks!"

"Sure." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Really!"

"Hermione, I've seen how you've looked at him the past couple of years. Every time he walks by, you don't pay attention to anything but him!" Ginny knew her best friend couldn't deny even that.

"That's not true!" Apparently Ginny was wrong, she would still deny it. Hermione couldn't help but think back to every time she saw him, aka, everyday.

Ginny looked her friend in the eye. "Hermione, it's okay that you like him. He's totally crazy about yo- Damn it!" Ginny covered her mouth again.

"What were you about to say, Gin?" Hermione's heart had begun to beat faster.

"Nothing! I said nothing!" Ginny said in a rush.  _Draco is going to kill me!_  she thought.

"You were about to say Draco likes me! I know you were!" Hermione was happy. "Wait... how would you know that?"

"Umm... nevermind," Ginny wanted to take the heat off of herself. "Hey, you should tell Draco tonight!"

"WHAT?! No!" Hermione was shocked at her friend's suggestion.

"I dare you to!"

"Fine..."

"Good!" Ginny was proud of herself.

Hermione looked at her watch. It was almost midnight. "I should get back, if I want to talk to Draco tonight."

"Okay, night Mione! And tell Draco hi for me!" Ginny was halfway up the steps to the girls' dorm rooms. Hermione left, walking slowly.  _What if he rejects me?_ she thought to herself. She was busy figuring out what to say when she arrived at the heads' dorm. She expected Draco to already be asleep, late as it was. She glanced at her watch again. 12:30. She walked inside, and saw Draco on a couch, reading a book. When he heard her footsteps, he jumped up.

"Hermione!" he exclaimed. "Can I tell you what I was going to tell you before?" His silver eyes were pleading.

"I need to tell you something first, something I have wanted to tell you for a while." Her tone had such a sense of urgency that he thought she should talk first.

"Yea?" he asked, his way of telling her to continue.

"Draco, I..."

As Hermione was about to tell Draco her intentions, something went wrong. One minute, she was confident and knew what she was going to say, the next, everything had gone black.


	8. Chapter 8

None of the lights in the school were emitting any light. The only source of light for the school was moon beams, and even that wasn't very bright. All over the castle, students were tripping and stumbling over random objects and their peers.

Hermione panicked. "Draco, I'm scared. I don't like the dark..."

 _Perfect timing_ , Draco thought. He stood up, grabbed Hermione's hand, and pulled her onto the couch, into his arms. She was trembling, although she wasn't sure whether it was from her fear or from his touch. Draco held her even tighter. "Don't worry, Mione, you're safe with me," he reassured her.

Hermione smiled slightly. "Thanks, Draco, you're the best," she breathed.

Draco's heart had begun to beat rapidly. He felt as if his heart was going to explode if he didn't tell her how he felt soon. He looked down at her, and could feel her heartbeat, beating in time with his. She was flushed. "Mione, are you okay?"

"Yea, I'm fine...," Hermione sighed. "Anyways, why do you care? I'm just a mudblood, I've always been below you..."

Draco froze. He hadn't been expecting that. "Well... um... I... can I talk to you about that?"

Hermione sat up. She looked at Draco's eyes, and was surprised at what she saw.  _He looks so sweet... so caring,_  she thought. She shook the thought from her head. _He wouldn't ever care about me._  "Sure, I guess," Hermione answered, looking confused.

"I... I have never hated you, calling you those things... it hurt me immensely," Draco stuttered.

"What do you mean?" Hermione was more confused that ever.

"Truthfully?"

"Draco, of course I want you to answer truthfully!"

"Okay, well... Merline, Hermione, I don't know how to say it! I guess I'll just show you." And with that, Draco leaned in, and kissed Hermione lightly on the lips. Chills traveled through both of their bodies. Hermione was speechless. "Mione, I've been crazy about you since the moment I saw you," Draco continued, words coming easier now. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione let out a happy yelp. "YES! I mean, I'd love to be your girlfriend!" Her smile was contagious, and both her and Draco were smiling. She couldn't believe it! She, plain Hermione Granger, was dating Draco Malfoy, the hottest guy in school! She snuggled close to him, and he held her tight, vowing never to let go.

"I love you Hermione Granger," he whispered, and meant the words with his whole heart.


	9. Chapter 9

A few months had gone by since Draco and Hermione had started dating. It was nearing Christmas, which meant the Christmas ball was coming up. Draco and Hermione were obviously going together, as well as Blaise and Ginny. Up in the boys dorm of the Gryffindor tower, Ron still wasn't pleased with Hermione and Draco being together.

"I get that they are going to be going to the ball together because they are dating and they are the heads, but why can't it be me that is dating her?!" Ron exclaimed, depressed. Ever since Hermione and Draco had begun dating, Ron was constantly depressed. He didn't know if it would ever get any better.

Harry sighed. "Ron, I know you love her, but really, you need to get over her."

"I know," Ron said. "But, its really hard! You haven't ever been in love with someone, only to find that they are in love with your worst enemy!"

Harry thought back to when he asked out Ginny back in fifth year, only to find out that she was madly in love with Blaise, his enemy's best mate. "I might not have lost a girl to my enemy, but I lost a girl to my his mate."

"I forgot about that, Harry..." Ron responded. "How long did it take for you to get over Ginny? It feels like I will never be able to get over her!"

"Mate, it takes a little while." Harry replied sadly. "How about you ask another girl to the ball? Who knows, maybe you are already moving on."

Ron thought about it. "Well... I guess I could ask either Pansy or Luna to the ball." His face brightened.

"How about you ask Luna? Better you than Neville," Harry started to laugh at the image of Luna and Neville dancing.

"What so funny?" Ron asked, although he had started to laugh as well.

"Neville.. and ... Luna... dancing!" Harry said between laughs. Unfortunately, Neville chose that very time to walk down.

"Guess what guys! I'm going to ask Luna to the ball!" Neville exclaimed, obviously excited. Ron and Harry roared with laughter. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing!" Harry cackled.

"Okay... you two are very odd," Neville laughed, walking out of the common room.

Once Neville had left, Harry asked Ron, "So, how are you going to ask Luna to the ball?"

"Well, this is my plan..."

**The next day, at Hogsmeade:**

"Okay, boys, Hermione and I are going to go and try to find dresses for the ball," Ginny told Draco and Blaise.

"Can't I come to Hermione? I want to help you try on dresses," Draco teased, putting his arms around her waist from behind.

Hermione turned to face him, and kissed him lightly before saying, "Silly boy, you'll see it next week, before the ball."

"Not what I meant..." Draco mumbled.

"Oh, I know what you meant, it's just fun to tease you," Hermione laughed. Draco made a face. Hermione just laughed some more. "Ginny and I will meet you two at the Three Broomsticks in, how about, four hours?"

"You two really need four hours to buy dresses?" Blaise was shocked.

"We also need shoes, jewelery, makeup..." Ginny added, the list going on and on. Both of the boys zoned out. Hermione and Ginny had already walked about thirty feet away by the time Draco and Blaise noticed their girlfriends were gone.

"Blaise, I think we have lost our girlfriends to shopping," Draco said with a chuckle.

"I agree. Come on Draco, lets go find something to surprise our girls with."

**Back with the girls:**

"So, Ginny, how excited are you about the ball?" Hermione asked Ginny, while window shopping.

"Do you really have to ask that?" Ginny laughed. "OH! Look Hermione! A dress shop!"

They entered a shop called  _The Maiden's Boutique._  A worker came over and greeted them at the door. "Welcome to  _The Maiden's Boutique_! Is there anything in particular I can help two lovely ladies such as yourselves find?"

Hermione thought for a moment before saying, "We have a ball up at school in a few weeks, can you please help us find something that will make our boyfriends loose their breath?"

"Right this way." The woman led them to a rack of dresses. "If you need anything, just call." The woman walked away.

Ginny and Hermione both grabbed a handful of dresses before heading to the dressing rooms. "Ginny, how about you try on your dresses first and I'll judge them, then we'll switch deal?"

"Okay," Ginny replied. She entered the dressing room, emerging in a glittery pink dress a few moments later.

Hermione gagged. "Um..."

"I hate it, too," Ginny laughed. The second dress she tried on was white, and a tad bit too tight. She shook her head before trying on the last dress. This time, when Ginny emerged, Hermione gasped.

"Wow, Ginny, you look... amazing!" Hermione exclaimed. Ginny was wearing a strapless green dress with clear beading on it. It was snug until the waist, where it bustled out into a full skirt.

Ginny spun around in it. "I do, don't I?" She giggled. "Okay, Mione, your turn!"

Hermione tried on her first dress. Ginny started laughing as soon as she saw the face Hermione made in the dress. It was blue, revealing, and stop about four inches above her knees. "NO!" Hermione yelped when she saw it in the mirror.

"Ha, Hermione, you know that Draco would love that dress!" Ginny teased.

Hermione glared at her friend, and walked back into the dressing room. This time she came out in a dress identical to Ginny's, only in black. Ginny liked it, but not enough for Hermione to buy it. "It looks good on you, Hermione, but I'm not sure how that color goes with your hair," Ginny commented.

Hermione agreed. When she came out the third time, she got an interesting reaction from Ginny.

"Bloody hell, Mione..." Ginny said. "You look so... HOT!"

Hermione laughed at her Ginny's choice of words. "Thanks," she giggled. Hermione was dressed in a red and white gown. It was strapless. Right under the bust, there was a band of white flowers. It clung to all of Hermione's curves, down to her mid thighs, where the dresses flowed out. Her breath caught when she looked at herself in the mirror. _Draco will love this!_ she thought.

The girls paid for their dresses, and exited the shop in search of a shoe store. They found one, and walked in. Ginny bought a pair of silver heels, while Hermione purchased a pair of red stilettos.

"So, Ginny, what's next on the agenda?" Hermione asked the other girl, their bags in tow.

Ginny looked at her watch. "We have some time, how about we go and look at jewelery?"

"Great idea," Hermione agreed.

**Back with the guys:**

Blaise and Draco were in a jewelery shop. They were getting weird looks from every girl in the shop. They ignored the looks, and proceeded to look at jewelery.

"Draco," Blaise said suddenly. Draco looked up. "Do you think Ginny would like these?" He was holding up a silver necklace with a black diamond, and a pair of black diamond ear-rings.

"She's you girlfriend, how would I know these things?" Draco laughed. "Wow, Hermione would love these..." Draco spotted a lovely necklace. It was simple: a silver chain with three diamonds hanging off the end. He also found a pair of diamond ear-rings. "Would these diamonds happen to come in rubies?" Draco asked, knowing his girlfriend loved rubies.

"Yes, sir, they do," an employee answered, going into the back room to get them. When he came back, Draco and Blaise paid for the gifts, and went to  _The Three Broomsticks_  to meet the girls. They were a little early, but they didn't mind that.

**A week later, before the ball:**

Hermione and Ginny were up in Ginny's room getting ready, while Draco and Blaise had gone to Blaise's room. Normally, there would have been more guys in Blaise's dorm, but, most of the seventh year Slytherins had become deatheaters and left.

Nearly an hour later, the men went to pick up the girls. Blaise waited at the bottom of the steps as Ginny walked downstairs. When he saw her, he couldn't believe how she looked. Her hair was atop her head. It had been curled, and doused with glitter. Her makeup was elegant: white eyeshadow with silver eyeliner, bronze lip color. Blaise held out his arm, and Ginny readily accepted it.

Now it was Draco's turn to be amazed. He walked towards the steps, and waited. His breath caught as he saw her.  _Bloody hell,_  he though, _she looks like a goddess_. Hermione had her hair back in a side bun, with a few wispy hairs framing her face. On the outside of the bun, Hermione had placed a few small white flowers and a rose. She had on the same makeup as Ginny, except her eye liner was black. Across her shoulders, Hermione had brushed on a shimmer powder.

"You look..." Draco struggled to come up with the right word. "Amazing. Here, I bought these for you last weekend, they will go perfect with your dress." He handed her the rubies, and her eyes began to well up.

"Oh, Draco," she breathed, looking at him.

"Do you like them?" he asked. He really hoped she liked them.

"Like them? I love them!" Hermione kissed him gingerly. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Draco said, not taking his eyes from hers.

"Okay, lovebirds, we need to get going," Ginny reminded them, although she had the same reaction when Blaise had given her the jewelery.

The couples left the head tower, and began to walk towards the ball, smiles gracing all of their faces.


	10. Chapter 10

"Draco, I'll be right back. I want to go and say hi to Harry and Ron," Hermione said, looking around for the two guys.

 _Why does she want to talk to them when she is with me?_  Draco asked himself. He kept his thoughts to himself, and said, "Okay, Mione, I'll be here when you get back."

Hermione walked over to where her other friends were standing. Harry was holding hands with Lavender, Ron was with Luna, and Neville was standing by himself. Neville kept sending glares an oblivious Ron's way. "Hey, you guys!" Hermione exclaimed, cheerful.

Ron was in shock at how good Hermione looked. "Wow, Hermione, you look great!" he finally said.

"No offense, Hermione, but Lavender looks better," Harry said, laughing.

"None taken," Hermione was laughing, too. "Lavender, you look great. So do you Luna." Hermione smiled at the couples.

"Thanks," the girls said in unison.

After a few more minutes of chatting, Hermione announced, "Well, I should probably get back to Draco. He is, after all, my date." She turned around, smiling, and went back to where Draco, Blaise, and Ginny were standing.

Draco watched her walk back over. "Welcome back," he said. She responded by kissing him lightly.

"Let's dance," she whispered into his ear, lightly biting it as she pulled back. Chills traveled through Draco's skin from her touch.

He took her hand, and led her to the dance floor. They were inseparable. Hermione looked up for a moment, only to see someone waving her over. "I'll be right back, Ginny needs me for a moment," Hermione told Draco, gesturing to Ginny.

"Okay," Draco replied. He walked over to where Blaise was standing.

"Hey, Draco," Blaise acknowledged his friend. "How the dance going for you?"

"Really good," Draco said, smiling. "How about you?"

Blaise looked over to where Ginny was waiting for Hermione by the door. "Good. Draco, I think I might be in love with Ginny."

Draco laughed at the nerves his friend had when admitting that. "Ha, congrats, Blaise! Are you going to tell her?"

Blaise was about to respond, when a growl came from behind. "Malfoy..."

Draco turned around. "What do you want, Weasel?"

"You know what I want, Malfoy," Ron said, poking Draco with the tip of his wand.

Draco replied by, alas, poking Ron with  _his_  wand. "Sorry, Weasel, but I can't say that I do."

"You don't deserve to be dating Hermione! She should be dating  _me!_  Not you, a Slytherin!"

"I am so glad you know your houses, Weasel!" Draco laughed. "And you don't I deserve her? I deserve her just as much as you do."

"Look at how you've treated her the last six years! If you had really cared about her, you never would have made fun of her!" Ron fumed.

"You had six years to make your move on her, you shouldn't have waited until now to do anything about your crush!"

"It's not just a crush!" Ron yelled. "I'M IN LOVE WITH HER!"

Ron barely had time to finish that sentence before Draco attacked him. Fist were flying as both men forgot that they could use their magic to harm each other.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH HER, TOO, AND SHE LOVES ME!" Draco said, punching Ron in the face.

"SHE LOVES ME MORE!" Ron punched Draco in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him momentarily.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"So, Ginny, what did you need to talk to me about?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Well... I think I'm falling in love with Blaise, but I don't know. How do I know if I'm in love? How did  _you_ know that you were in love with Draco?" Ginny mused.

"You just know. I don't know, I was constantly thinking of him, and I loved being near him. It just felt right to be with him," Hermione said, thinking.

The girls would have continued talking, if it wasn't for Blaise running out to them. "Hermione! Draco and Ron are beating each other up over you! I suggest you go and talk to them?"

Hermione ran into the hall, and over to the boys. Ginny ran as well. Hermione grabbed a hold of Draco as Ginny pulled her brother away.

"Draco! Ron! Why are you guys fighting?" Hermione shrieked, enraged.

"Hermione, I..." Draco started to say something, but Hermione cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it." She glared at both of the boys, before walking out of the ball.

Draco and Ron watched her leave. "Great job, Malfoy, you made her leave!" Ron exclaimed.

"Shut it, Weasel!" Draco screeched, running after his girlfriend.


End file.
